"SteveB" <toquerville@zionvistas> wrote in message
...
> I've been looking for it at stores, and can't find it anywhere. Is it
> still made? I'm going to a kitchen specialty shop tomorrow and look
> there. I look in the spice and baking sections.
>
> Steve
>
> --
> -Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.-


Look in the spice section Commonly called St Vincent Arrowroot.

Dimitri



Genuine St. Vincent Arrowroot (Maranta Arundiaceace) produces a fine, very
pure form of starch, internationally acclaimed for its special properties.
The St. Vincent Arrowroot Industry, a totally indigenous agro processing
enterprise, undertakes the cultivation, processing and sale to selected
buyers.
Uses of the Product

Genuine St. Vincent Arrowroot is without smell, taste or allergenic
properties. It is manufactured under natural conditions without any chemical
additives. In its natural form it is in high demand as a cooking thickener
of gravies, and sauces. The product is used for inclusion in spice packs
sold at supermarkets and groceries and finds a place in drug stores as cure
for stomach ailments.

Arrowroot Startch is derived from the Rhizomes
The commodity can be used to replace wheat or other cereals in cereal free
products for persons who are affected by cereal intolerance. Arrowroot
starch is also a much sought after product for use in cookies, baby foods,
dessert mixes and breakfast foods. It can be used as an odourless baby
powder. Arrowroot starch continues to be highly regarded for its use in
production of high quality computer paper as well as for a myriad of food,
beverages, animal feeds and pharmaceutical products.
By products of the arrowroot-starch manufacturing process such as madungo is
a highly priced local product with tremendous market/sale possibilities, yet
to be fully exploited. Waste products such as the 'coarse bittee', 'fine
bittee' and fruit water can be processed and promoted as potential outputs
of the manufacturing process.
History
St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a long history of arrowroot production.
The industry arose from humble beginnings as the food and medicine of the
Carib and Garifuna peoples to the status of a major export of St. Vincent
during the period 1900 to 1965. It became an important commodity in colonial
trade in the 1930's. As the sugar industry declined in the nineteenth
century, cultivation of arrowroot was developed to fill the void. Since
then, the acrerage declined steadily and the crop was eclipsed by
competition from other crops, particularly banana. Evidence of its former
glory is indicated by the ruins of the various magnificent 19th century
factories located in every valley on St. Vincent's mainland.

Arrowroot Fields along the Windward Coastline
Arrowroot cultivation is now concentrated on farms located north of the
Rabacca River particularly in the Owia area. In 1998/99, the industry
produced 312,000 lbs of starch, which represents about three percent of the
maximum levels that the island exported in the 1960s.
In the past, the St. Vincent Arrowroot Industry played an important role in
the economy of SVG, contributing close to 50% of the country's foreign
export earnings and was the principal source of employment and income of the
rural people from the 1930s to the 1960s. During the War Years, the Industry
donated a spitfire fighter plane to the Colonial War efforts. By the end of
the War, the industry contributed to the construction of the Peace Memorial
Hall in recognition of local effort to the War.
Cultivation
The arrowroot plant Is very hardy and not very demanding in its
requirements. St. Vincent, particularly the north-east coast, provides the
ideal growing conditions for optimal yields; deep, well drained, slightly
acidic so its and a hot humid climate. The main pest is the arrowroot leaf
roller (Calpodes ethelius) which is kept under control by natural agents
through an Integrated Pest Management Program of the Crop Protection Unit of
the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries.

Arrowroot is Harvested by Hand
Arrowroot farming is labour intensive especially at harvesting which is done
manually. The starch is derived from the underground storage stems or
rhizomes, which are plowed up, manually removed from the field and processed
at the plant located at Owia. The dried starch is refined and tested for
purity, graded and packaged for export.
Stakeholders
Small farmers form the backbone of the industry are the major contributors
to the cultivation. The number of farmers cultivating the crop in 1998 was
estimated at 172 on approximately 200 acres of land in 26 farming
communities.
In recent times, six major studies were commissioned to examine the causes
of the industry decline and to provide recommendations for its improvement.
Kairi Consultants Limited was contracted by the Government of St. Vincent
and the Grenadines (GoSVG) to undertake a feasibility study for the
Expansion of the Arrowroot Industry in St. Vincent. The findings of the
study provide strategic actions to be taken to improve the status of the
Industry.
The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines recognises the value of the
agricultural food industrial sector for employment, income and poverty
reduction.
New opportunities for free trade and access to world markets through the New
World Order, provides traditional industries such as the Arrowroot starch
industry with greatly enhanced opportunities to earn foreign exchange.
This article first appeared in The Ins & Outs of St. Vincent & the
Grenadines. It is published courtesy of Miller Publishing Co. Ltd. Visit
their website Ins & Outs of Barbados